Francesco Lo Castro: Keeping It Surreal

Giving due justice to Miami-based artist Francesco Lo Castro’s body of work is like describing an iPhone to an 80-year-old grandma – it’s nearly impossible. How do I even begin to talk about such intensely complex artwork? It’s both controlled, and free. It’s unique but evocative. It’s type A and type B. It’s, so simply put, jaw-dropping.

Upon first glance, it seems like another beautiful digital design. Gradient colors layer with line work and basic shapes to look as though they must be computer-generated. But, look again to find it’s much more incredible than that. Castro’s work is actually a disciplined composition of acrylic, spray enamel and layered epoxy resin on wood. Each piece is individually unique from the last, but all have the same intricate approach that amounts to a meticulous beauty.

His pieces are like kaleidoscope visuals, with countless shapes bursting from a dense center. The backgrounds have soft gradients that seamlessly transition showcasing the more chromatic colors layered on top. There are so many tiny and delicate visual aspects stratified upon one another, you could get lost forever in a hypnotic daydream trying understand them all (which wouldn’t be the worst way to go).

Much of his portfolio is comprised of circular pieces that juxtapose beautifully with his angular designs. Absolutely breathtaking, the marriage of almost mechanical design aspects with liquid flowing colors creates such an endless feast for the eyes, you’ve just got to see it to believe it.